Research
Strengthening the Educator Pipeline: Recommendations for Investing in Michigan’s Educator Workforce
Educator staffing issues have been a long-term issue in Michigan and nationwide before COVID-19 but were intensified by the pandemic. Over the last three budget cycles Michigan invested over $1.1 billion—a significant investment—to address these persistent educator staffing problems. This funding has supported a variety of initiatives in varying size to attract talent, support professional development, and create sustainable career paths across the educator continuum.
Michigan is at an inflection point. Are these investments working? As the state looks to a new budget cycle, key recommendations need to be made about how to optimize current and future resources.
Long term efforts require long term solutions. In October 2024, Senator Camilleri, Chairman of the PreK-12 School Aid Budget, requested investment and policy recommendations from Launch Michigan. As a cross-partisan nonprofit organization led by an experienced Michigan education leader, Launch Michigan is uniquely positioned to critically evaluate and help guide the state to a more cohesive vision for the future. Senator Camilleri also encouraged Launch Michigan to convene an Educator Roundtable of experts to provide input into this work. In response to Senator Camilleri’s request, Launch Michigan prepared this report and sought advice from the Educator Roundtable to envision a blueprint for the opportunities to come.
As new backpacks are stuffed with fresh notebooks and pencils and teachers prep their classrooms for the return of students, a public opinion survey released today shows many voters lack confidence in K–12 quality and funding.
The statewide survey of 600 voters commissioned by Launch Michigan shows that 54 percent of voters approve of Michigan’s current public education system, while 27 percent disapprove.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents in the survey believe lack of classroom funding is impacting quality, with only 25 percent of voters saying Michigan public schools have enough money, and 65 percent saying they need more funding. The most overwhelming support on the survey was for increased funding for students with extra learning needs, with 90 percent approving of additional money for students that are experiencing disability, language skills or poverty.
With educator shortages crippling the state’s K–12 workforce and impacting learning opportunities for students, Launch Michigan has gathered input from the state’s teachers and building-level administrators with an eye toward understanding the issues at play.
Launch Michigan contracted with Emma White Research to survey public school educators in May, uncovering many of the policy and funding levers that can help reverse these trends and strengthen the state’s public schools—and, ultimately, the state’s economy.